Hens cage mate died, shall I get her a new friend?

[Cheepcheeps]

Hi there,

I have two female very tame button quail I hatched just under a year ago. Sadly one passed away yesterday and my hen left has been calling for her all night. I know quail don't usually do well alone so I was just wondering would it be the right thing to get her one or two female cage mates? We just want to do what's best for her . Understandably we are pretty gutted, including her it seems. Any advice what to do? How would I go about introducing a new hen in if that's the right thing to do?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Welcome from New Orleans. I don't have the answer, you and your family will have to decide what is best for you and your quail. With that said, if you intend to keep her she needs a friend ASAP.
A few things to think about : if you get 2 quail, if they already know each other will they gang up on your other girl or ignore her. Would it be possible to get 2 quail from 2 different places, so everyone is new and will have to get to know each other?
If you get 1 quail do you think your other girl will take to her? I know chickens can recognize up to 100 faces for at least 1 year after they are gone.
Good luck and please let us know how your plan works out. I think you are doing the right thing, regardless of the number of quail you decide to keep.

 

[Cheepcheeps]

I did think getting two from the same place might mean they are already bonded so might not accept mine. Thank you for the response it has given me something to think about. My girl was very protective of her sister and they were very close, I can't imagine she will do well alone, even though we do have her out and spend a lot of time with her.